


The Fine Line Between

by DabblesinDrabbles



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Rey Ships It, matchmaking shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-15
Packaged: 2018-05-14 00:46:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5723233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DabblesinDrabbles/pseuds/DabblesinDrabbles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A sequel to my Stormpilot modern AU, Rey is at the matchmaking again this time between her broody artist cousin Ben, or "the artist known as Kylo Ren" and his boss everyone's favorite ginger General Hux but as she finds out getting these two together may not be as easy as she first expected (also there is an innocent potted plant victim)</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Fine Line Between

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my sequel to my Stormpilot modern AU "What the Cat Drags In" you can find it here
> 
> http://archiveofourown.org/works/5651593
> 
> As always I don't own any part of Star Wars and I'm not affiliated with it except as a massive fan and trash can!
> 
> Please leave comments, criticisms, and of course any advice on how you feel I can improve! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy the fluff (this ship needs more of it)

      It had been a month since Operation: Get My Favorite Idiots Together ended in a success and life had returned to semi-normal in Rey, Finn, and Poe’s apartment building, with the added bonus of Rey no longer having to kill spiders for Finn at ungodly hours in the morning. Rey couldn’t bask too much in her victory though because she had hit a wall in her new plan, Operation: Get Emo Kid and Weird Name Guy Together, she realized she not only hardly saw Ben but she didn’t even know this Hux guy and it was this wall that lead her to ask Poe and Finn for help during their weekly apartment building only dinners. She was washing dishes with Finn, both watching as Poe and BB rolled around together on the floor when Rey decided to just bite the bullet, “So Finn,” she said trying to sound nonchalant, “you work with Ben at your school right?” Finn chocked a little, not expecting Rey to ask about her intense, to put it nicely, cousin “Y-yeah Ben well he goes by Kylo for some reason, is our Art teacher for the first grade,” his cheeks went pink, “why do you ask? I was under the impression you guys don’t exactly have family dinners.” Rey sighed, wiping her wet hands on her jeans, “I promised Aunt Leia I would…well..I would set him up with some guy he works with called Hux? Do you know who he is?” She jumped back quickly as Finn dropped a glass and bent over laughing until he had tears streaming down his face.

    After Finn had stopped laughing, finally, and they cleaned up the glass he told Rey all about the relationship between Ben and Hux, “Rey seriously, they hate each other, General Hux is the principal,” he gets cut off by Poe, “General?” “Yeah we think it’s weird too but he was in the army before he came to work at the school anyways, they hate each other like it makes all of the staff meetings awkward because they always end up screaming in each other’s faces over budget cuts!” Poe slung his arm around his boyfriend’s shoulder, “Finn though that could be their weird version of foreplay, I mean we don’t know,” Rey smacked the back of his head, “Poe no I don’t want to even think about what weird mating rituals my cousin may have gross!” Finn just chuckled before looking at Rey skeptically, “So I’m not saying I will help but if I did what would you want me to do?” Rey was silent for a minute, her brain running through a few plans when she finally had the perfect one, her face cracking into a wide, frankly diabolical grin, a grin which made Finn immediately regret his choice to help.

    “Don’t freak out, don’t freak out,” Finn thought to himself as he fast walked to Hux’s office, “be calm, he can smell fear” he took a deep breath before entering. Hux sat at his desk reading through some discipline forms, wire framed reading glasses on the end of his nose when he heard Finn the Kindergarten teacher open his office door and enter. “Mr. Finn,” he sighed taking his glasses off, “why have you come into my office unannounced?” The other man seemed to fidget under the gaze of Hux’s light green eyes and then pulled himself together, “General Hux, sir,” Finn swallowed the lump in his throat, “I’m sorry for barging in unannounced but there’s been an issue in Mr. Solo’s classroom, some kind of paint throwing tantrum?” He stepped back quickly as Hux leaped to his feet and headed towards the door, “What the hell did that pretentious man child do now?” In his haste Hux had all but forgotten Finn was still in his office, Finn quickly went to Hux’s desk and threw in the letter Rey had written hoping that Rey’s crazy plan would work and if it didn’t that it wouldn’t be traced back to him.

      Rey smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress nervously as she looked at the advertisement for Ben, well “the artist known as Kylo Ren’s”, open art gallery to make sure she was in the right place. “I’m only here for Aunt Leia and Ben’s happiness,” she thought to herself as she squared her shoulders and walked into the gallery, “I can put up with vape smoking hipster artists if it means seeing my family happier.” She had asked Finn to come with her but it was a date night for him and Poe, he had also said that he wouldn’t be caught in that “den of hipsters” to save his life but he at least gave her a description of this Hux guy so she could make sure her plan worked. As she walked through looking at all of Ben’s paintings she had to admit that he definitely received all of the artistry in the family, his paintings varied in color schemes most of them dark and moody but one color stood out more than the rest a deep, fiery red. Rey smirked to herself as she looked at a painting, a simple silhouette of a man sitting at a desk in deep concentration the only color the red of his hair labeled Line Between Love and Hate, Ben must have inherited Uncle Han’s lack of subtly.

    Rey had paced through all of the art throughout at least three times and had already drank two glasses of wine before she caught a flash of ginger hair and knew that Operation: Get Emo Kid and Weird Name Guy Together was officially a go. Ben was talking to a small group of buyers, an easy smile on his lips his dark eyes shining with a passion for his art, Hux had never seen the temperamental art teacher so relaxed before except in the fleeting moments of peace in the war they raged at the school. Ben was dressed in a simple black button up, it’s sleeves rolled up to reveal muscular forearms, and black slacks with his red Converse standing out, Hux knew he was staring, drinking in the sight until Ben made eye contact with him his eyes quickly losing their relaxed passionate fire and instead replaced with confusion as he excused himself and headed towards Hux. Rey quickly moved forward trying to stay out of sight of the two men by hiding behind a tall plant, straining her ears to listen,

     “Principal...erm...General Hux,” Ben’s voice cracked slightly, “what are you doing here? If you’re trying to find out a way to fire me then think again because I told you when I applied for the teaching position that I still do personal galleries and commissions.” Hux had to tilt his head slightly up to make eye contact with Ben, waiting for Ben to say he was joking, both men were silent for a few more seconds then Hux’s face scrunched in confusion, “Ben you literally sent me an invitation to the gallery, you left it on my desk, it had your weird professional Kylo Ren document seal and everything!” Rey cringed from her hiding spot, she had thought that getting them together would be as easy as it was Finn and Poe but instead she had two idiots who were overly rational and asking too many questions. She readied herself to see the explosive fights she had heard all about from Finn.

    “I didn’t send you any kind of invitation,” Ben said his voice raising and his cheeks going pink in embarrassment, “I mean why would I anyways? You always want to cut the arts from the school budget, you can’t appreciate any kind of art!” Hux stepped back slightly, caught off guard by Ben’s hostility momentarily, his mind rushing through all of the insults he could use when his eyes caught on a painting of a very similar silhouette. He began to walk right past Ben, eye fixed on the painting ignoring the stares they were getting and the random girl whose head popped out of the plan to watch, her eyes expectant and lip being bitten in anticipation. Ben watched in horror as Hux moved to the painting he had never planned to show his muse, he fast walked over hoping to stop the slightly smaller man and distract him with anything but the painting but he was too late.

     Hux’s back was to him, his fists clenching at his side, Ben began to draft a resume in his head, sure as he watched Hux turn to face him that he was going to be needing a new job soon, he would probably have to leave the country out of embarrassment, he had always heard Germany was nice in Spring. When Hux turned and came face to face with Ben again his eyes were soft in a way Ben had only seen a few times, usually saved for crying students and on the rare occasion when they weren’t arguing Ben himself, and his breath caught waiting for an insult or a scathing reprimand as Hux moved closer. They were toe to toe, impossibly shiny black leather shoes meeting scuffed and paint stained red Converse when Hux smiled, a large charming grin, his eyes filled with mischief as he asked, “So Solo, when exactly were you going to give me a slice of the money you make from these paintings considering I’m your muse and all?” Ben huffed out a laugh, a slight hysterical edge from the breath he had been holding, “I don’t know sir, how about we negotiate some terms over dinner?” As both men leaned in Rey let out a whoop of victory that sent the plant and herself toppling over with a loud crash.

   Rey again found herself on the phone with Aunt Leia and Uncle Han, she had been trying to teach them how to use Skype but so far that had resulted only in Uncle Han putting their puppy Chewie up to the web cam the entire time. “Ben called yesterday, “ Leia’s voice was filled with warmth, “he already seems happier and he is bringing his boyfriend with him to come meet us next month.” Rey smiled even though she knew her aunt couldn’t see it, “I’m happy to hear it’s still going well, I had coffee with them after the gallery opening and Hux seemed…intense but I think he could be good for Ben. They bicker like you and Uncle Han do already!” Leia laughed as Han could be heard cursing in the background at Chewie tearing up his favorite slippers, “Well if that’s the case then our Ben will be happy but frustrated in the best way!” They talked more about Florida and when Leia and Han would come back to visit, as their conversation came to an end Rey heard Leia’s voice become airy with mischief once again and groaned internally waiting to see who her Aunt wanted her to set up next, “So Rey, my dear,” started Leia with an audible smile, “you’ve set up your two favorite idiots and you’ve done the almost impossible task of setting up our favorite broody idiot with someone who makes him smile and not even in that ironic way he used to, isn’t it time to find yourself someone too?” Rey’s face blazed red in embarrassment as she stuttered through an excuse to get off the phone, as she quickly hung up she heard Aunt Leia and Uncle Han’s booming laughter carrying down the line.


End file.
